Peugeot 5008 MPV (2009-2017)

The Peugeot 5008 bucks the expectation that if you need a seven-seat people carrier – or MPV – you should expect an uninspiring driving experience. While it can’t quite match the Ford S-MAX for outright driver enjoyment and the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso is more stylish, the Peugeot 5008 is enjoyable on the road, extremely practical and comes with a range of economical engines.

However, if you want one you'll have to be quick. The model is being discontinued and Peugeot only has 'in stock' models only, so you may not be able to get the precise specification you want.

There’s only one petrol available: a turbocharged 130bhp 1.2-litre. While it’s quite efficient, returning 52.3mpg and emitting 124g/km of CO2 (making road tax £110 a year). However, the 1.6-litre a diesel engine suits the 5008 better. It manages 65.7mpg and costs just £30 a year in road tax thanks to its low CO2 emissions.

Whichever engine you choose, the 5008 is by no means a quick car: the fastest engine is the 1.2-litre petrol, which gets it from 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds, while the 1.6-litre diesel is a little slower, taking 12.2 seconds to get from 0-62mph. It's a little slower still with the automatic gearbox. In fairness, outright performance tends not to be a top priority when choosing an MPV.

Despite this sedate performance, the 5008 is an enjoyable car to drive: the raised gearlever makes changing gears easy, while its steering is accurate and body lean when cornering is well controlled. You can also choose to fit Peugeot’s Dynamic Roll Control, which helps to reduce body lean further – something passengers prone to carsickness are likely to appreciate.

21

Inside, the Peugeot 5008 is every inch the practical people carrier. The seats can be folded and slid in a variety of ways depending on your requirements, while the dashboard is easy to use and features plenty of soft-touch plastics. The third-row seats are best suited to children (something that’s often the case with seven-seater cars), but aside from this, the 5008 offers generous head and legroom, while an 823-litre boot (with the rear seats folded) provides plenty of luggage space.

Peugeot offers the 5008 in just two trims: Active and Allure. Active comes with all-round parking sensors and electric windows, cruise control, Bluetooth phone connectivity, air-conditioning, window blinds, alloy wheels, LED running lights and automatic lights and wipers. Moving up to Allure trim costs about £1,800 and adds a head-up display, sat nav, a reversing camera, larger alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof and tinted rear windows.

While the 5008 has strong safety credentials thanks to a five-star Euro NCAP rating, reliability is less impressive. Peugeot has improved its reputation for dependability recently, but a 17th-place finish in our 2016 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey represents a seven-place drop over the previous year. The 5008’s 137th-place finish out of 150 cars does little to inspire confidence, either.